When a rash decision sets the course of Paige’s life on a different route, she finds herself back at Wynthorpe Hall, but the place she knew as a child has changed beyond recognition. Determined not to stay too long Paige soon finds herself embroiled in local life.
One night whilst driving home, lost amongst the country roads Paige stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, it’s elderly resident. Soon, Paige realises there is more to Albert than meets the eye, and the same can be said for Brodie, another village newcomer that she can’t seem to stop crossing paths with.
All three have a secret and a desire to keep themselves hidden from the world, but with Christmas fast approaching is that really the best way to spend the festive season.
I always love to journey to Wynbridge and Wynthorpe Hall, especially for Christmas time. It was wonderful to be back at the Hall with the Connelly family. Angus is always guaranteed to have me laughing and feeling festive.
The only slight snag for me was that I felt I didn’t really gel with this story as I have with all of Swain’s previous works. The relationship between Paige and Brodie just didn’t ring true for me and I kind of wish there had been no love story for the protagonist. The relationship between Paige and Albert was much more believable and wholesome, and I would have been happy for this to be the only theme for the book.
That aside, it’s always welcoming to sink into a Heidi Swain novel and return to places and people that are as familiar now as friends. I would recommend this as a cosy Christmas reads and imagine it’ll be stuffing stockings up and down the country by the 24th of December.
* Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK, via NetGalley, for this ARC *